Safety shockproof container car



Nov. 7, 1939. w. P KELLETT SAFETY SHOCKIROOF CONTAINER CAR Filed March 26, 1937 iii iii 1' ESHQI n 9 5. l rnfehiof'. William P/ails Mal/elf. ,J

Patented Nov. 7, 1939 ammo sT'rEs owin Claims. The principal objects of this inventionare to devise a car particularly adapted for use in the rail transportation of independently movable goods container, which will enable the opera- 5 tion of manipulating the hand-brake of the car to be effected with the maximum of safety to the operator, and particularly to ensure that the operator will not be struck and forcibly displaced from the car by the relative movement thereon of the container.

The principal features of the invention consist in the novel arrangement of a platform at the end of a car operatively connected with the means for securing the container on the car,

whereby adequate standing room for the'brakeman is provided at all times irrespective of the oscillating movement of the container on the car under the restriction of the shockproof holding mechanism for the container.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a plan view of one end of a car equipped with my improved safety .device, the upper half showing the top of the deck and the lower half showing the deck removed.

Figure 2 is a side elevational view showing a container in place and illustrating the application of the invention.

Figure 3 is an end elevation of the car constructed with my improved safety device.

Figure 4 is a small diagrammatic plan view of the deck of a car showing the arrangement of a pair of containers thereon.

Figure 5 is an enlarged longitudinal section of one of the end jacks and its sliding support at, in the car frame.

In the application of the invention here shown, the car frame is formed with paired longitudinal center sills I, and side sills 2, which are connected together at intervals throughout the length of the car by cross members 3 and supported between the center sills and the side sills are paired longitudinal channels 4, between which are journalled at suitable intervals the rollers 5 which project slightly above the surface of the plate deck 6 and form the rolling support for the containers I, which permit the containers to move longitudinally in either direction on the car deck either in the placing or the removing of the containers and to a limited extent in the action .10 of transportation.

Jack members 8 are mounted upon longitudinally slidable tubular members 9 supported in the car frame, and these are connected together in longitudinal pairs by the tie-rods I0 and II,

between which tie-rods are arranged the spring buffers I2 the construction of which is not herein described in detail as such does not form part of the present invention. It is important to note, however, that each pair of jacks are rigidly tied together longitudinally by means of the tie-rods 5 Hi and I I, but can slide in unison in a longitudinal direction, either toward the centre of the car or toward the outer end. The jack members extend upwardly above the car deck and engage suitable contact pockets underside of the containers l at the ends. The containers being supported upon the rollers 5, will upon impact or retarding shocks applied to the car structure, move lengthwise of the car deck, such movement will be restricted by the bufier 15: members l2. There is, however, an appreciable movement of several inches in either direction longitudinally, so that if a brakeman happened to be standing upon the narrow portion of the deck of a car at the end of a container when an 20 impact or retarding shock occurred, he might be forcibly jolted so as to either push him off the deck or disturb his balance, so as to cause a fall, and he would be in imminent danger of being badly injured or killed. I 25 It is to avoid this condition with movable container equipment that the present invention has been devised, and as herein shown, the end jacks 8 adjacent to the end of the car where the brake staff I4 is arranged are provided with flat hori- 30 zontal surfaces I5 here shown as rigid with the displaceable sleeves 9 shown pivotally supporting the jack 8', and these surfaces are adapted tov support a plate structure l6 which extends across the top surface of the end of the car.

A plurality of threaded holes I! are formed in the part I5 to receive holding screws which extend through the plate I6, and thus tie the plate securely to the displaceable sleeves 9. The plate I6 as herein shown extends completely across the 40 deck from side to side and projects over the end of the car from the supporting jacks, so that when the jacks and sleeves move longitudinally in relation to the car from the effect of impact shocks, the plate I6 will move with the said 45 jacks and sleeves and a platform surface will therefore be provided which will not alter in relation to the end of the container held by the jacks.

In the form of railway car herein shown, the 50 deck is provided with a longitudinal slot l8 to receive guiding projections arranged upon the container, and the plate I6 is formed centrally of its width with a depression I9, which converges inwardly from the outward side of the plate to 5 I3 arranged in the 101'.

a narrow guide portion 20 which aligns with the slot [8 in the deck. The plate is also preferably provided with a depressed recess 2| to receive the wheel 22 attached to the brake staff 14 when the brake stall is lowered so that the wheel will not project above the top of the plate. This arrangement is desired so that the brake wheel in its lowered position will not interfere with the under frame of a container during transfer.

It will be readily appreciated that this invention may be applied to any form of container holding structure which moves in relation to the car body in order to provide: a narrow platform at the end of a moveable container so that the trainman temporarily working at the end of a container will not be injured through the movement of the container in relation to the car.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a safety shockproof container car of the type having a deck rigid therewith on which containers are adapted to directly rest in shockrelief relation, the combination with jacks mounted on opposite sides of the rigid deck for cushioned shock-relief displacement relative to the rigid deck on which the container rests'for securing the container in longitudinal shockdisplaceable relation to the car deck, of a local platform of transversely elongated form extending from side to side of the car deck at one end only in covering relation, to the said end and operatively connected at its outer ends with the respective jacks and displaceable therewith and with the container to accommodate an operator and substantially preventing an operator from standing on the said end of the rigid deck surface whereby the operator will be definitely protected against injury due to the shock displacement of the container on the rigid deck.

2. Means as claimed in claim 1 in which the jacks are of the type including cylindrical plunger members slidably mounted below the rigid deck surface in opposition to resilient means with the container-engaging jack mem-' bers rotatable on said plungers for displacement below and above the deck surface, the local platform being directly secured to said slidably mounted plunger members to move in unison therewith and whereby not to interfere with the pivotal function of the jack members thereon.

3. A safety shockproof container car'as claimed in claim 1 in which a manual brake-applying means is mounted at the end of the rigid deck structure accessible by an operator standing on said local platform and said platform is recessed in alignment with said brake-applying means to accommodate the aligned portion of the latter when the said platform has been displaced from its normal position toward said manual brakeapplying means.

4. Means for minimizing the danger to operatives on railway cars of the rigid deck type on which rigid deck containers are directly mounted for shock relief displacement in opposition to resilient retaining meansinterposed between the rigid deck and container for retaining the containers upon the rigid deck, comprising a safety zone operatively connected with the container. through said retaining means and extending beyond the container for displacement therewith, and being free of the weight of the container.

5. Means for minimizing the danger to operatives on railway cars of the rigid deck type on which rigid deck containers are directly mounted for shock relief displacement in opposition to resilient retaining means interposed between the rigid deck and container for retaining the containers upon the rigid deck, comprising a metal plate overlapping one end only of the rigid deck and mounted on said retaining means for displacement in unison therewith and with the container and projecting beyond the container to provide a safety platform.

' WILLIAM PLATTS KELLETT. 

